Help!!! complete loss of power. Im out of ideas!

[frank galager]

Hello got a mk3 golf 2.0 gti n reg with a p reg engine in it (pretty mush the same).

Changed the engine over recently it seems to run ok on level ground but at the slightest hill i.e the lip going in to my garage, the revs just drop no matter how much i put my foot down, then it stalls if i don't put the clutch in. Its fine out of gear, all sounds normal and it revs nicely

the only other thing noticeably wrong with the car is that the exhaust blows an knocks alot, which will get fixed when i can get it on some ramps but at the moment thats impossible! That wouldn't make it loss power would it?

I've changed:

crank sensor
02 sensor
relays
all plugs are sparking (only did a visual check of that)
theres fuel getting to the engine (checked by turning on the ignition with one of the injector hoses disconnected from the engine)
Checked compression all cylinders are between 190-200.

I had to change the dissy over, i'm pretty sure i've done it right, lined up the rotor arm with the little notch on the dissy body while the engine is TDC and the line on the flywheel is lined up with the mark on the gear box housing. also used VAG COM measuring blocks to fine tune it as per this web page http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?97444-Distributor-timing-VAG-COM. is this correct? There was only one mark on my flywheel by the way. I assume it was the TDC one, shouldn't there be a 6 deg BTDC one? Would ignigtion timing be the problem here, its the only thing left that i can think of being the problem!

Any ideas?

[KIN9DUB]

i'm not sure on this, but i kept getting loss of power  but not on hills, mine was the maf sensor and pipes leading up to it. i changed the maf  and it done nothing, i then changed all the pipes and it works perfectly, so check the pipes if you already haven't..

[frank galager]

Which pipes? the one going from the air box to the throttle body? The MAF is kinda new ish.

[dragongreengolfgti]

Hello got a mk3 golf 2.0 gti n reg with a p reg engine in it (pretty mush the same).

Changed the engine over recently it seems to run ok on level ground but at the slightest hill i.e the lip going in to my garage, the revs just drop no matter how much i put my foot down, then it stalls if i don't put the clutch in. Its fine out of gear, all sounds normal and it revs nicely

the only other thing noticeably wrong with the car is that the exhaust blows an knocks alot, which will get fixed when i can get it on some ramps but at the moment thats impossible! That wouldn't make it loss power would it?

I've changed:

crank sensor
02 sensor
relays
all plugs are sparking (only did a visual check of that)
theres fuel getting to the engine (checked by turning on the ignition with one of the injector hoses disconnected from the engine)
Checked compression all cylinders are between 190-200.

I had to change the dissy over, i'm pretty sure i've done it right, lined up the rotor arm with the little notch on the dissy body while the engine is TDC and the line on the flywheel is lined up with the mark on the gear box housing. also used VAG COM measuring blocks to fine tune it as per this web page http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?97444-Distributor-timing-VAG-COM. is this correct? There was only one mark on my flywheel by the way. I assume it was the TDC one, shouldn't there be a 6 deg BTDC one? Would ignigtion timing be the problem here, its the only thing left that i can think of being the problem!
Any ideas?

I'd say its this and your a little bit off where it should be when at tdc i think the correct position for the rotar arm should be pointing pretty much at 2 clock as looking at the engine if it is not anywhere near there then its out mate 

[KIN9DUB]

sounds like dragon green is much more likely to be right than me , but yeah i meant them pipes. hope you get it sorted anyway

[frank galager]

Mine sits at ten o'clock i think, which is at cylinder ones firing position. I then moved the dissy body around untill the little notch lined up with the rotor arm which from what i've read sets the hall sensor or something?

[frank galager]

sounds like dragon green is much more likely to be right than me , but yeah i meant them pipes. hope you get it sorted anyway

Yeah the pipes are from the old engine an that was running fine!

Cheers though mate i'll take em off and give em a look over anyway.

[dragongreengolfgti]

Mine sits at ten o'clock i think, which is at cylinder ones firing position. I then moved the dissy body around untill the little notch lined up with the rotor arm which from what i've read sets the hall sensor or something?

Ah right sounds like your 90 degrees out possibly  there a right sod to get right basically i'd try again whats the engine code? you shouldn't be able to twist the body of the distributor around as it should have two locating pins which the securing bolt goes through. you need to try this set your car to tdc by lining the notch up on the end of the camshaft pulley to its mark also checking the bottom pulley is also in line. You can do this with a screwdriver down spark plug hole 1 aswell  then take your dissy cap completely out now rotate your rotor arm so that it is pointing more or less at 1-2 clock with the hall sensor pointing about 4 clock you then need to use your hand inside the hole where you put the distributor in and line up the notch to the rotor arm position and carefully push it back in untill it slots in there. Do it all up and try your car out  if however it does not run or is still very rubbish then you are without doubt 180 degrees out on the dissy so you will have to take it back out and twist the notch through 180 degrees and push it back in again with the rotor arm pointing to 2 clock. It should all then be sweet however you can be slightly out still and a few degrees of twists and turns either way will get you spot on mate 

forgot to say i have done 3 of these now using the same method and have all been very succesfull so good luck 

[frank galager]

ok mate, i'll try that. never heard of doing it like that before! But if it works it works!

Not sure on the engine code its 1997 so i think its AGG but never to sure.

[dragongreengolfgti]

ok mate, i'll try that. never heard of doing it like that before! But if it works it works!

Not sure on the engine code its 1997 so i think its AGG but never to sure.

  it took me over a day to get my head around it on my first 8v but got there in the end  let me know if you need any more help  yeah sounds like it will be agg then i think its wrote in your v5 book or on the vin number plate in the engine bay